Unnecessary detractions

Ihad high hopes of this, the final recital in the summer series of St John’s lunchtimes.

The three performers are all well-known locally and have entertained Peterborough audiences with their eclectic and enjoyable programmes on many previous occasions.

If this concert fell short of expectations it wasn’t due to the music-making, though there were a few signs that it was a little under-prepared.

Rather, it was a series of extraneous events that detracted from the occasion.

For example, the absence of a printed programme meant that many people in the audience weren’t able to identify or remember some of the works. A prolonged and prolix spoken introduction to the proceedings focused on anything and everything, except the music.

Later there was applause between the movements of Poulenc’s flute sonata which effectively spoiled the continuity of this tightly-organised piece.

Not to mention somewhat inaudible spoken introductions by the musicians themselves.

And, as if all that wasn’t enough, there was mislaid sheet music and crying children!

I can’t emphasise enough my own admittedly simplistic view that a concert is an event which you attend in order to listen to music, and the more professionally and snappily it’s presented the better. However, I’m going to bend over backwards at this point and admit that some people in the audience may well have relished the ‘homely’ approach which epitomised this concert.

If only because they may not have a basis of comparison.

Turning to the music itself, there were exquisite solos from harpist Rowena Bass.

In particular, some Celtic folk song arrangements which combined the beautiful simplicity of the original tunes with some sophisticated accompaniments.

At the piano Bruce Burbidge contributed a quirky set of variations on Rule Brittania by a certain Ludwig van Beethoven.

As well as Edward Macdowell’s charming piano piece To a Wild Rose. Here playing with the lid down may have inhibited the piano tone slightly, suggesting that putting it on ‘half-stick’ might have been a better bet.

In the main work on the programme, the haunting flute sonata by Francis Poulenc, Deirdre Culloty and Bruce Burbidge seemed to be urging each other on to ever faster speeds.

The result was that they rarely seemed totally together in the outer movements.

And even the lovely Debussy Arabesque No 1 with harp accompaniment never quite settled down rhythmically.

All three instrumental- ists played together at the beginning of the concert in some unusual arrangements of three Schubert songs. They ended their recital with the early 19th century weepie The Last Rose of Summer.